IPOH: They say time heals everything, but for Abdul Rani Alias, fighting an armed group from the southern Philippines in Kampung Tanduo, Lahad Datu, is something he will never forget.
It has been six long years, but the deputy commander of the VAT 69 commando team at the time has finally come out to share his experience.
Rani, who led the “Delta sector” team, said he and the other 24 commandos had entered the village at midnight on Feb 28, 2013, in order to clear all the 25 houses in the area.
“After the area was cleared, I heard loud gunshots about 9.45am from ‘Charlie’ and ‘Bravo’ sectors, located about 200m from us.
“I had instructed my team members to help the affected sectors before I saw my colleague, Corporal (Mohd) Qaiyum (A’ikal Zolkipli) suddenly collapse, hit by gunshots to his shoulders.
“What we didn’t realise was that we ourselves were being ambushed... a rain of bullets came down on us, hitting here and there,” he said when met at the General Operations Force (GOF) base in Ulu Kinta here.
Rani said the armed men, followers of the so-called, self-proclaimed Sulu Sultanate under Jamalul Kiram III, seemed well-trained in the battlefield.
“That was the first time I had encountered such experience. We usually face smaller groups and based on my experience, what I can say is that they (the terrorists) were brave.
“Having 20 years experience (in VAT 69), I know our team is well-trained and we were the first team to enter the area, followed by the GOF and the army,” he said, adding that the intrusion had caused two of his colleagues, Assistant Superintendent Zulkifli Mamat and Sergeant Sabaruddin Daud to be killed in the operation.
Rani said he would always remember two things — the deaths of his two colleagues and the sound and feeling of bullets whizzing past him, so close he could hear the crack as they flew nearby and impacted the foliage around him.
“I was lucky, nothing hit me. But the bullets came very close to me. I don’t want to highlight this tragedy as the experience clearly lingers in my mind and two of my colleagues were killed in the incident,” he added.
Following this incident, Rani said a remembrance ceremony for the 2013 Lahad Datu and Semporna intrusion would be held at the GOF base here on March 1.
The Lahad Datu intrusion began on Feb 11, 2013, when more than 200 armed men landed in eastern Sabah.
‘Op Daulat’, as the operation against the intruders was codenamed, ended on June 29, 2013. Thereafter, the Eastern Sabah Security Command was set up and still retains responsibility for security in the area.
The Lahad Datu incident saw a total of 72 deaths — 56 of the intruders, 10 Malaysian security forces and the remainder being civilians.